We often see the ancient Egyptian god Seth as the god of evil in ancient Egyptian religion because he had killed his brother Osiris in order to claim the kingship of Egypt. This lecture will try to rehabilitate Seth’s stature taking into account numerous new studies on the many roles that Seth held throughout Egyptian history. Oftentimes Seth held the position as king of the gods and the years of his reign as king were enumerated. During the New Kingdom Period, he served in an honored position as the protector of the sun god Re at the prow of the solar bark, as a chief deity of the Nineteenth Dynasty kings, but also had some negative aspects portrayed. The Late period portrayal of Seth as a god of evil generated multiple tales of the “evil” god Seth and passed into Greek literature. In his slide-illustrated lecture, Dr Cruz-Uribe will review some new and unpublished scenes of the god Seth from his own field work in Egypt.

Biography

Dr Eugene Cruz-Uribe is Professor of Global History and World Civilizations at California State University – Monterey Bay (next year Professor of History at Indiana University – East). He is also currently the Editor of the Journal of the American Research Center in Egypt, the principal research journal for Egyptology in the US. He is actively engaged in fieldwork and excavations, principally in the Western Desert and the Nile Valley. Previously, he has taught at Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff and at Brown University. Several volumes on the Hibis Temple Project are among his extensively publications. He is an expert in Demotic, one of the last phases of the ancient Egyptian language, and was a coauthor on Demotic Graffiti from the Temple of Isis in Aswan and also on The Archive of Tikas—Demotic Papyri from Philadelphia in the Fayum. In 1978-79, he helped curate the Treasures of Tutankhamun exhibit for the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, and for the Seattle Art Museum. He received his B.A., M.A. and Ph.D from the Oriental Institute, University of Chicago

The Oregon Chapter of the American Research Center in Egypt is a private, nonprofit organization that supports research on all aspects of Egyptian history and culture, fosters broader knowledge among the general public, and strengthens American-Egyptian cultural ties.

The Middle East Studies Center at Portland State University promotes understanding of the people, cultures, languages and religions of the Middle East. As a National Resource Center for Middle East Studies under the U.S. Department of Education's Title VI program, the Center serves as a resource on issues pertaining to the Middle East through activities that reach students and scholars, as well as businesses, educators, and the media. The Middle East Studies Center supports academic conferences, workshops, cultural events, lectures, and a resource library.